


25 days of amazing

by benibara



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: "op what are u on" that good shit, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-12 15:59:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16875840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benibara/pseuds/benibara
Summary: what if instead of hohoho it was ohoho... think about ita series of various christmas themed oneshots, all ships including wataru hibiki, the man the myth the legend himself





	1. watarei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rei's cold and needy, wataru's willing to take care of him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when you have enough friends enabling you to follow your dreams... well, you follow them. and my dream is to do this. so here we are. if you have a wataru ship you want added, feel free to let me know in the comments or something. he's EVERYONE's hibiki wataru.
> 
> but for oneshot one, he's rei's.

It's not a question, nor is it a request. It's a simple, needy statement from his boyfriend, whined out pathetically as if on the brink of death. And that's very amusing — enough to catch Wataru's interest — so he laughs as he pauses the movie playing on his laptop, shifting on the bed to face the lying mass of limbs beside him that is Rei.

He'll have him repeat it. "What was that, dear?"

Rei groans for a solid five seconds and then kicks his legs about, "It's _freezing_ , you're _warm_. Hug me!" It seems vampires become like this too. They can't always be effortlessly suave and exuding charm, can they? Whether it be that they lack enough blood intake or simply that it's Winter, sometimes such fangy, batty beings, too, end up like anyone else: whiny. While some might feel the illusion of it all is shattered (Koga) and others might still find it charming to no flaw (Tsumugi), Wataru is of the type somewhere along the middle — finding it delightfully surprising, and ever so amusing, with a dash of endearing to top it all off.

Then again, you could argue Wataru is just a very accepting lover.

He hums in thought, "Well. I  _am_ watching a movie," Rei responds to this by whining again and kicking his legs more. "but," The other stills his legs. "I suppose I can do that for you." So Wataru lifts the covers and slips within his bed next to Rei. As he does, he opens his mouth again to speak, "Though, I do want to get back to my movie so—"

But Rei throws one leg around Wataru, shoves one arm underneath his torso and the other over to wrap him in an almost vice grip, and rubs his face against Wataru's exposed collarbone (thank god for v-neck shirts, Rei thinks) before Wataru can finish. Using his supernatural speed and strength to his own advantage. Wataru huffs through a smile.

"Ahh, I suppose it'll have to wait then." He flicks playfully at Rei's ear, "My, you  _are_ freezing, though. Your nose is pure ice on my skin."

"Vampires are sensitive to extreme temperatures," Rei replies, voice muffled but vibrating against the skin of Wataru's chest (straight to his heart). "so it's expected." He nuzzles against Wataru some more before moving his face away to speak clearly. "Mmmm, Wataru, I want hot cocoa."

Wataru attempts to wriggle about, "Then you have to let me up?"

Rei holds tighter, buries his face deeper into Wataru's chest, and whines even more childishly than before. "Noooo. No, no, no. Couldn't you request your doves to handle that for you?"

"I'm not sure what you believe Jeanne and the others are capable of, but that is quite a tall order for my finely feathered friends." Wataru soothes Rei by settling down once again and combing a hand through his wavy black locks, much to the vampire's enjoyment (which you can _hear_ , because he practically _purrs_ ). "You'll simply have to allow me my freedom, thus I can fulfill your request and  _then_ we can, of course, return to bed like so."

Rei takes a few seconds to mull this over in his mind, seemingly really turning the cogs about inside, before ultimately relaxing his hold on Wataru. "Alright, but carry me down there, will you? My bones feel prepared to snap and turn to dust any second now." Once Wataru nods, Rei fully unravels himself from around Wataru, watching as he gets up and comes around to Rei's side of the bed and allows for Rei (blanket held firmly around his shoulders) to clamber up onto his back.

Wataru hooks his arms beneath Rei's knees while Rei loops his own around Wataru's neck. "Ready?"

"Yes. Oho, I understand now why Ritsu so loves to be with Isara-kun like this." His voice portrays how delighted he truly is, and Wataru can only roll his eyes. "Delightful. Let's stay like this for awhile. Ah, now I can get around so easily. This is much more functional than using the coffin Sakasaki-kun whipped up for me. Mm, yes, Ritsu is so smart! Wataru, shall we go about like this more often?"

Wataru sighs, "As eager to please as I may be, I don't see myself becoming fond of Isara-kun's particularly stressful lifestyle. Be that as it may, I will indulge you on occasion, if that is what you wish for. Though, as your brother is often told, you really ought to work harder to walk amongst us reasonably. Your parasol protects you from the sun's rays, so..."

"I get so  _tired_ , Wataru! So  _tired_ and my legs  _hurt_ so  _much_." Rei insists and complains, peppering kisses against one side of Wataru's neck as if that will bait Wataru into accepting, when truly it just makes Rei more eager to get a taste of something other than what he requested.

"A sad tale, indeed. You may as well ask of Santa-san to bring you one of those electric wheelchair devices old folk use. You've enough time before Christmas to send him a letter."

Rei huffs indignantly, "How cruel, Wataru. I'll cry. _Oi~oioioiii_. Like so."

"Oh my. My _sincerest_ apologies, dear."

"I know you well, Wataru! You aren't sorry in the slightest!"

"Perhaps! Hot cocoa, you said, mm?"

"Ignoring it won't make it go away! I'll cry for real now! _Oi~oioioioioioi!!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if youre wondering "how is it 25 days when you started on the 6th" well my dears i love to procrastinate so i am now attempting to play catch-up with myself because contrary to what i believed... saying "i'll get to it" all throughout the last week of november... did not at all leave me getting to it
> 
> but here i am now, so here i go


	2. watakao

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wataru and kaoru make a pretty good couple, and christmas is a great time of the year to fall in love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you havent considered watakao yet well then open your eyes

Now, you may be wondering, as you stare at this simple Japanese home: is this excessive? And is it? Is it excessive — to be into the spirit of the holidays? To have your humble abode decorated top to bottom with rainbow lights strewn all about every possible place they could go, from upon the home to the trees? To have light up classic Christmas characters everywhere they can go; Rudolph and Frosty, Santa and Mrs. Claus, elves and the rest of the reindeer crew? To have even lit up decor such as sleighs and toy boxes, candy canes and a little train, even an angel or two? To be so delightfully in the mood for the oncoming day of joy and love, laughter and cheer — _amazing_ and... _amazing!_

Well, the answer is, yes, it's excessive. But it's not like the Hibiki household has ever cared much for what others think. Still, Kaoru really can't believe his eyes. It's a far cry from the Christmas he's used to now — tensioned and bleak, lacking in any sort of warmth or even a faintness of the typical energy behind these festivities. Really, only he and his older sister talk during the holidays, otherwise he's out roaming about the town, anywhere but at home with his father. You'd think he'd hate it, being that the area is so full of couples especially during this time of the year, but really it makes him feel a bit better.

People seem genuinely in love and ecstatic to be together, and kids are seen tugging at their smiling parents' hands as they point at the many, many things they wish Santa will bring. And it's nice. Seeing people live out what he's long since lost. And last year, well, he had the pleasure of seeing another sight too.

Around this time last year, he'd caught sight of Wataru rushing down the sidewalk of town. He assumed he was off to see Rei or something, a gathering of eccentrics during the season, and normally he'd barely spare more than half a second looking at another man, let alone even  _entertain_ the thought of greeting them politely, whether they were students of the same school or not... but he felt compelled to. Perhaps because Wataru, during the Summer, had been so eager and intent on establishing some sort of friendship. As time went on, he realized he got the same vibe he got from Rei and Kanata from Wataru; essentially, he was friendly and kind, albeit odd. Therefore, it was hard to ignore him. Especially when, if he was genuinely hurt, that kind of expression hit you somewhere deep.

Anyway, maybe there were a lot of reasons then that he'd parted his lips to call out and say hello, but by the time he did, Wataru was already almost out of sight. And perhaps there were even more reasons why Kaoru, instinct and all, began to run after him. Could you say it was the start of love? Maybe. Either way, he followed him all the way to his destination.

An orphanage. Teeming with children of varying age, all swarming about not only one familiar face, but several. That was definitely that kid with the two different eyes there, and those two intimidating guys from half of... Oden, Izumi said? ... No, no. Eden! That's right, Eden. And half of Eden was... Eve? No, this one was... ah, right, Adam. The two guys from Adam. The four of them were chatting amongst themselves and the kids, and Kaoru got the idea that he should probably go now, it was pointless to come all the way just to say hi, when Wataru locks eyes with him and smiles one of those usually wide grins of his.

No escaping it is, then. Wataru waves him over, so Kaoru sheepishly enters the circle. "Hey, Hibiki-kun. What are you guys doing?"

"Fufufu. Hello to you, as well, Kaoru-kun. As for the answer to your inquiry, well..." He gestures to the others and then himself, "It seems we all had similar trains of thought during the season!"

"Huh? How's that possible?" Kaoru asks, only breaking eye contact to bend down and help a little girl who'd tugged at his sleeve with retying her boots.

Wataru laughs, somehow so warm it definitely made everyone (even that freaky glasses guy here) feel a bit comfier in the Winter breeze. "Ah, you see, all four of us appear to be former orphans."

Mika plays with the hem of his sleeves, embarrassed and avoiding eye contact, " _Nnaaahh_ , I was gonna visit home but the trains 're stopped today... So I thought it wouldn't hurt to visit someplace closeby too, 'n I ended up here. I didn't check if stuff was workin' before leavin', 'n if I came back early 'n said so, Oshi-san would definitely scold me. Make the most of things, y'see?"

The glasses guy salutes before speaking. Weird. "His Excellency and I were in the neighborhood! He said he wished to stop by here as we passed, so I obeyed his request!"

The other one, who gave off a more subdued vibe but contained a comparable aura to that of Wataru's, speaks next — though his speech pattern is stark in contrast to his image. "... It's good. ... Seeing these kids happy makes me happy, as well."

"As you can see, that is why we've come to be here! My, we could make this something of a group thing!" Wataru returns to center stage of the conversation as Kaoru rises back up, "Would you like to partake?"

Kaoru waves his hands, "I'm not an orphan, so, like, intruding and..." Well, there's also so many guys too. But he can get how they feel. Even if only one of his parents is gone entirely, his father is basically as good as missing too. But in the end, he steals another glance at Wataru's smiling face and gives in. Within the hour, some of the other students like the Aoi twins and Tenshouin come as well. Seems a lot of Yumenosaki students lead troubled lives at home.

Well, that's what Kaoru learned last year. He's graduated now, attending college and... er, surprisingly, for the rest of last year and into the new year, he hung out with Wataru a lot more, so... Well, basically put...

They're dating now.

Yeah, somehow that doesn't feel like enough to have any of it make sense. But it's what it is. He's dating Wataru, and now he's waiting outside his immensely bright and overly festive house so they can go out on some corny Christmas season date and he's stupidly excited about it; a bundle of wound up, jittery nerves that seamlessly unravel when Wataru finally comes out and smiles at Kaoru as he loops his arm through his, and so they begin walking towards town.

Either he's way gayer than he ever considered before getting into this relationship, or people really do get prettier when they're in love, or both. But Wataru in his eyes is a form of beauty that outranks any man, woman, or in-between. Perhaps having been ruminating on the past for awhile has also made him a bit more sentimental, or maybe it's the season, or, again, maybe it's both.

"Ahh," Wataru sighs dramatically, "I love Christmas more than anything else!"

A childish twinge of jealousy makes Kaoru's heart feel funny. "What, even more than me?" He wants to smack himself for replying so stupidly.

"I love it so much  _because_ of you..." Wataru trails off, "... Hakase~?"

"Ohh, I get it. You're messing with me. It's not gonna work that easily anymore, babe." Kaoru replies. When you date an Eccentric, you get way more used to them. They stop affecting you as much in that way where you want to react and argue. "Anyway, do you want to do anything after we eat? Should we go see some lights or go shopping, maybe visit the amusement park?"

"My, you want to spend time with me so much?" Wataru teases.

Kaoru's response is sincere, "Well, yeah. I mean, you're traveling a lot for theatre work so I don't get to see you much at college, let alone the fact we're on different courses. I love you, so isn't it natural to want to monopolize your time a bit when I do have the chan... Wataru?"

Somewhere into his words, Wataru had raised his free hand to cover his face away from Kaoru's sight. But if the blonde leaned forward, he could see Wataru's cheeks and ears turning rosier than the cold could possibly do to him.

He smiles, and looks straight ahead again, allowing Wataru the time he needs to regain his voice.

Wataru was right, actually. He, too, loved Christmas more than anything else. And his boyfriend was definitely the greatest gift of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you open your eyes yet
> 
> sure this focused a lot more on kaoru in general, but seeing as ive never written watakao before and there isnt much canon lore to give a frame of reference for it (compared to, say, eiwata or watarei or watakei) and kaoru really needs a precedent imo to make a ship work considering his feelings/issues (whereas with a different rarepair i can focus more on personality dynamic), i decided to go this route to establish some sort of feel for how i'll be writing them here, as i will write watakao again for this so... keep your eyes open
> 
> also kaoru's cute so who cares


	3. watakei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's going to be christmas soon, hasumi-kun
> 
> so what, hibiki

Sleep is perhaps one of the very few times Keito can truly feel relaxed. Save for the occasional nightmare, but really sometimes telling a demon you rebuke it is still more relaxing than dealing with making sure Eichi isn't dead or Wataru hasn't burned down the school roasting sweet potatoes or Rei isn't causing a school-wide drama or whatever else the ungodly, unruly students of Yumenosaki could come up with. But now, right now, the sanctity of sleep is being tread upon, utterly disrespected, as his shoulder is shaken over and over until he has no choice but to sigh and turn around in bed.

"What is it, Wataru."

His boyfriend peers at him with owlishly widened eyes, "I saw Santa."

Keito bites back the urge to kick him out of his bed. Letting him stay over was a mistake. "It's not even Christmas— no, Santa isn't even  _real_ , Wataru. Go back to sleep." He pulls the covers back over his shoulders and lands his head on his pillow, shutting his eyes.

Wataru frowns, "I truly saw Santa, Keito."

"Uh-huh. And I truly met Buddha the other day at the cafe." Keito grumbles.

"My, what a meeting that must've been! I congratulate you, dear."

Ah. How he fell in love with, and furthermore ended up dating, Wataru feels like a mystery right now. Even though he knows it's because he's seen every side of Wataru's personality, and even though he knows it's because Wataru is attentive in all the ways he needs (which Keito, of course, returns), and even though he  _knows_ it's because Wataru was really intent on going out and wore Keito down enough to accept... Ugh. Fine, he knows, so he'll be nice and sit back up. Wataru better understand how much he loves him for this.

He stretches out and grabs his glasses, pushing them back onto his face before turning back to look at Wataru. "What do you want so badly that you're waking me up at," He glances at the clock, "five in the morning? We don't have to be up for another hour or two."

Wataru points to the sliding door that leads to the veranda, "As I told you, I saw Santa."

"And I know you, so  _I_ know that  _you_ know that you did not see Santa."

His boyfriend sighs and folds his arms, flopping back into bed, hair strewn about like an octopus — and similarly, the strands wiggle about and wrap themselves around Keito's wrist. Now he's earned the silent treatment for what he's sure is because he's ignoring Wataru's trick, but, to be fair, it's Wataru's fault for attempting it at  _five in the fucking morning_. He has to admit, though, his boyfriend is going to win this fight anyway, because when he pouts, Keito's found he finds it cute, and when his hair moves around, he has an instinct to pet it.

So he does, laying back down beside Wataru on his side, beginning to play with his hair that's now settled down; meaning Wataru's allowing it. He smiles softly. "Soft as ever," He spins a piece around his index finger, "and now will you tell me what it is that you're doing?" He tugs lightly and, in the back of his mind, notes that Wataru's hair feels faintly damp. Had he taken a shower in the middle of the night? But he'd taken a bath before bed, so it should be dry now if he hadn't showered again, so why?

Wataru gestures vaguely, "Go see Santa."

Keito sighs. It's cold outside the covers, but Wataru doesn't seem like he's going to break into song to keep him there. Begrudgingly, he climbs out of bed and shuffles over to the doors, tensing at the chill that sweeps into the room. "Once again, Santa is not real so I don't—"

At his side now, as suddenly as always, is Wataru; smiling vibrantly. Keito can't see, he just knows. Right now, instead, he's staring at the tree outside with lights strewn about in it. Wataru's somehow made the wires and wires of glimmering lights form into words.

_Santa may not be real, but my love for you is!_

Keito turns to face him. Wataru grins. Keito pulls his hair.

**Hard.**

"Go the fuck to sleep."

So he storms back to bed. The reason he's flushed isn't because of something so stupid, obviously. It's the cold. It's  _obviously_ the cold. It was so cold when he opened that door. Wataru obeys and comes to bed laughing softly, clearly amused with himself.

"You're taking that all down as soon as you wake up. Do I make myself clear?" Keito says as Wataru slips in and hugs his side.

Wataru nods, "I know, I know. Good night, Keito."

Keito sinks his hands into Wataru's hair and combs through, pressing a short kiss to his forehead before whispering: "Love you too."

Wataru doesn't sleep after that, Keito can feel how warm he got, and so he falls asleep with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who doesnt love a good ol watakei? who doesnt? its a good pair janet


	4. watashu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wataru repays shu's kindness from the past

Within the Handicrafts Club's room is the sole figure of a hunched over young man, whispering curses beneath his breath, masked only by the whirring of the sewing machine. Despite the fact the rest of the school seems to be bustling and bursting at the seams with excitement and joy, this sole room within the school breathes an air of a time that has since stilled many months prior; the gears of the clock lurching to a halt. Whether it be Valentine's, Halloween, or even, as it is now, _Christmas_ — if you stepped foot past the threshold of the door here, you'd feel as if you'd slipped into an untouched pocket of time that hid you away from the rest of the world.

Perhaps it was meant to be that way for the safety of the sovereign of this domain, until they were ready to continue on, or maybe even a curse hung over the area, just waiting patiently to be broken by a kind hero. Whatever reason it may be, it was soothing or unsettling depending on who came within. For Wataru, he'd stand to reason it was a bit of both.  _Soothing_ , he'd argue, is how it felt when sunlight poured past glass and parted, maroon curtains, the bubbling of warm water boiling and the scent of tea and fresh croissants ghosting the room, and the body of a proud young man brightly explaining his latest blessed ideas of what creation was next bestowed upon his far greater than average mind, an eager hand pressed against a whiteboard of foreign explanations.  _Unsettling_ , he'd argue next, is how it felt when no light could seep through the thick cloth of maroon curtain over the windows, eerily silent and devoid of life, croissants on the table since clearly grown stale, and the curled up, pitiful ball resembling someone he once knew, fists tightly clutching a blanket around him so much so his knuckles turned white.

Today, thankfully, was a good day. Though he stands before the tailor who could spin pure gold and theory into tangible silken fabric, he receives no more of a greeting than a huff. Only when he dares to seat himself upon an empty space of the table does the other cease his work to address him fully.

"Non." Or not. "Remove yourself from my workspace this instant! This is not a  _circus_ show, you will behave with dignity and be seated as the masses do — properly, in a chair."

Wataru grins and obliges to the request (order), settling himself down across his dear friend. Elbows on the table, chin rested snug upon the palms of his hands, he laughs warmly. "Good afternoon to you as well, old friend."

Shu does not glance. Rather, he stares pointedly at Wataru's arms, cursing his poor manners and further cursing him as a person, for he knows Wataru is well aware of how to behave, and he is merely performing such childish acts in order to receive more of his attention. However, this would distract him from his work at hand, so he does not give in. Wataru is grateful for this, because he dearly enjoys watching someone so reactive as Shu, well,  _react_.

... But that lasts for a total of ten seconds, before Shu swats at him. "You...! Truly, sometimes I come to wonder how it is you and I came to be friends exactly." Wataru now hooks his ankles with Shu's, which the other ignores. Wataru's sure that Shu must perceive the act less embarrassing as it isn't visible, nor is it an explicit breach of manners, so he isn't scolded for it. "What is it that you want so much so that you're distracting me from my work? Contrary to what you may think, I haven't control of the sands of time to do my work as I please, _Wataru_."

"My, my. Had you simply given me your full attention when I arrived, we would have settled this quite quickly, you know! Shame on you, ignoring me when we are so close." Wataru wags a finger that Shu once again swats at. _Feisty_ , Wataru thinks, _but cute as ever_. "I came to give you something."

" _Did_ you now?" Shu drawls before tapping the back of his hand against Wataru's shoulder when he fails to continue on, "Well, out with it!"

Even in the face of Shu's poor temper, Wataru simply laughs and goes at his own pace, leisurely lifting a bag from beside him on the floor and holding it over for the other to take. When Shu does, Wataru moves his hand quickly to ruffle up his feathery soft pink hair, amused when Shu seems to puff up like a bird and bark at him for his  _impertinence._ Nevertheless, he opens the bag and sifts through thin, colored sheets of decorative filler for its contents.

"What is it?"

Wataru hums as he watches him, eyes glinting with emotions Shu isn't quite sure he can parse, unhooking their ankles as he rises to his feet. " _What_ , indeed! Though, it should call you back to a time you surely treasure as well? Oho. I'll be taking my leave now, Shu. Do work on your hearing, though. I knocked quite an amount of times before I entered, you've gotten much too engrossed in your work. It's troubling."

"You're one to say that." Shu rolls his eyes, still digging.

"Hoho! I've nary a defense for myself in the face of such words! Anyway! Merry Christmas!" By now, Wataru's one foot out the door, but he halts for a moment. "By the way, what's within," He looks to the bag and then back to Shu, "is not the only of its kind. Take that as you will. I'm certain someone like you will decipher my riddle of sorts easily? Or so I hope. Well then, adieu!"

And in an instant, he's gone, as if he's poofed into thin air, leaving only an open door and a dusting of glitter on the floor to leave passerby to surmise:  _Hibiki Wataru was here, huh?_ Shu grumbles about his lack in proper upbringing, how being in fine must've rotted what was once a brilliant mind, how he'll have Aoba clean up all that glittering garbage on the floor— when he finally manages to get through and pull out an article of clothing.

His thumbs feel the texture in his hands as he looks it over. A sweater? Well, it wasn't made by the hands of an amateur, to say the least, yet nor was it made by someone as finely skilled as he. That is to say, it was a suitably nice craft. As he moves to refold it and place it back into the bag, a letter slips from out the inside of the sweater and he just narrowly manages to catch it. Clothing folded and returned to it's bag after, Shu searches for his letter opener to slice it open. Scanning it's contents, his expression begins to change ever so slightly as he comes to the end.

_So what is your response?_

The envelope, with the letter contained, is clutched tightly in his hands as he spares no time to pack up or even clean before hurrying out the door. He'll come back or text Mika to handle it, Wataru knew this the moment he began his plan. And Shu, too, knows that certainly Wataru has already planned this far ahead. Yes, and by now, certainly that young man is standing on the rooftop, delighting himself with the falling snow, waiting in a place where seasons change and days go by.

So the ghosts of far beyond Christmas past begin to lay rest, _and the clock begins to tick_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> matching watashu sweaters where they just read "if lost return to shu" "im NOT shu"
> 
> anyway shu made outfits for the oddballs and i still think that's sweet! although this would take place before that meet-up, so lets just say theres a reason shu wants everyone to forget the outfits he made besides being shy (^: also! beginnings of love are fun to write! i think thats my favorite part even! go get ya man shu!
> 
> watch as i continue to struggle pitifully and play catch up to be in line with the dates... haha... hopefully i'll have another huge bulk of them to post again soon so i'm going properly with the days... either way i'll get 25 before christmas! i will! (hopefully)


End file.
